Egypt." He must, then, have been wise indeed, for the Arabians and Persians, who were among the children of the East, were famous for wisdom; and Egypt was so renowned for it, that philosophers, or men esteemed already wise, even went there, from other countries, to get more wise,-for Egypt was called the mother of the arts and sciences; all clever kinds of inventions having had their origin there. "And he spake three thousand proverbs and his songs were a thousand and five." Proverbs are wise sayings; many of which are to be found in the book so called, and written by him; and, besides these, he wrote a number of poems. "And he spake of trees, from the cedar-tree that is in Lebanon," which is a large and noble tree, one of the finest in the world, "even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall," the lowest and least herb. So that he understood trees and plants of all sorts and sizes between the greatest and the least; or, in other words, he was wonderfully skilled in what is now called botany. "He spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes." He understood the nature of all sorts of animals in the earth, air, and sea, and discoursed of their names, kinds, qualities, and use, with the greatest ease; so that he was a complete master of what is called natural history. And this is the more wonderful, because even the wisest men, who now study these things with constant attention, can only take some one part of them in order to be master of it-one fixing on insects, of which the numbers are astonishing; another on birds; another on beasts; another on fish; and so for the rest.

No wonder that "there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom."

Preparation for Building the Temple.

I KINGS V.

As soon as Solomon was fixed upon his throne, Hiram, king of Tyre, sent ambassadors to him, to congratulate him on his peace and prosperity. Solomon took the opportunity of sending a letter back by the ambassadors, to inform Hiram that he intended to build a temple for the worship of God, which the troublous times of his father's reign had prevented from being done; but now, all the enemies of Israel having been put under the soles of his father's feet-that is, in other words, being conquered as one trampled upon, and there being "rest on every side," he would not delay to complete so grand a design. But he wanted some help from Hiram. There were

very fine cedar trees, a most durable wood for building, which grew on that part of Lebanon belonging to Hiram, and he would be glad if he would have them cut down for his use; and, moreover, that he would let him have some of his men to work on them; for the Sidonians, who were a part of his subjects, were very skilful in hewing timber.

So Hiram, who was very friendly towards Solomon, promised to do as he wished; and this was a very important point gained towards building the temple, for the Jews were mostly employed in agriculture-that is, ploughing, sowing, and reaping the fruits of the earth, and knew little about the art of fine building, or even of hewing down trees, which, to be done well, should be done at a particular time, and in a certain way, and then they should undergo some preparations to make them fit for use.

Hiram having kept his word, Solomon paid him for his trees and workmen's wages, by giving him what was needed in his country, where, though the people were skilled in growing and working timber, they did not so well understand how to grow the fruits of the earth. "And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil; thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year." These measures are not of the same sort as ours, but have been carefully reckoned, and amount to twelve millions nine hundred and sixty thousand pounds of wheat, and twenty one thousand six hundred pounds of oil; so that Hiram was very well paid, and this pay was given every year, as long as the temple was in building, and some think afterwards continued as long as Hiram lived.

Besides the help of Hiram's men, Solomon employed thirty thousand Israelites, ten thousand of whom worked every month in turns; so that each one was one month in a quarter of a year labouring for Solomon, and two months at home looking after his own grounds and family. This was very kind and considerate, and showed that he was not a tyrant of a king, who would have allowed them no time for themselves: and he employed Adoniram "over the levy," that is, over those men who, being got together by the king's orders, were called "a levy ;" and Adoniram had to see that they did their duty, and rested in their turns.

So Solomon had "threescore and ten," that is, seventy, thousand men, that "bare burdens," or carried stones from the mountains out of which they were dug; and "eighty thousand hewers in the mountains," that dug the stones out of the quarries, and made them into proper shapes; and he employed three thousand three hundred officers, to overlook them, and see that none were careless or idle.

"And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, and costly stones," such as fine marble, "and hewed stones to lay the foundation of the house." "So they prepared timber and stones to build the house," or temple.

The Building of the Temple.

I KINGS VI.

"In the fourth year of Solomon's reign he commenced the building of the temple." The house which king Solomon built for the Lord was thirty-six yards long, twelve wide, and eighteen high; but to this were added courts and colonnades, where the people might assemble to perform their devotions and assist at the sacrifices, without being exposed to the open air. So that the whole put together was a very grand object.

There was one very remarkable thing in the building of this temple: "The house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in building." The joints were all made by the clever workmen, God blessing them particularly in this work with more than usual skill, so that each joint fitted exactly into the one for which it was made, and required nothing more than a wooden mallet, at most, to fit it in its place. This temple is mentioned in Scripture, as a type or likeness of heaven,—that is, it was a place for serving God, and where God particularly blessed his people, and so is heaven; and this curious fact, about the stones all fitting without any more noise and labour, had its meaning, and may remind us that all those who are to be pillars in the temple of God above, or to remain there fixed for ever, must be first made fit for it; and this they are by the Holy Spirit of God making them holy, for nothing that is defiled or wicked can enter there.

If you read the chapter you will, perhaps, find a few things which you cannot understand. We are told that "the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers." What are knops? They are said to have been ornaments of the shape of an egg.

The oracle was a

And then we read of the preparing of "the oracle." place where God, in a wonderful way, spoke his mind and will, as one man speaks to another.

You must also observe that there was a great quantity of gold used in the building: "So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he